You know who is tired of “slave movies”? Snoop Dogg. He even made a video to complain about them.

This recent commentary from the legendary Long Beach, California (LBC) rapper was prompted by the four-night, eight-hour reboot of Roots. The History Channel has recreated the 1977 original series based on Alex Haley’s 1976 novel for today’s audience.

On the video, Snoop makes it clear that he won’t be supporting this show for political reasons.

“I don’t understand America. They just want to keep showing the abuse that we took hundreds and hundreds of years ago. But, guess what? We taking the same abuse.”

He also made it clear what types of movies and shows he would like to see in the future.

“When you all going to make a motherf*cking series about the success black folks is having? The only success we have is Roots and 12 Years a Slave and sh*t like that, huh? Fu*k ya’ll. I ain’t watching that sh*t,” he went on. “Fu*k them television shows. Let’s create our own sh*t based on today, how we live, and how we inspire people today.”

A few months ago, I argued here that we should definitely support “slave movies” and productions as long as those films and shows are made by us for us. So, to a certain extent, I understand why Snoop is concerned. In some ways, he is asking for a nuanced and complex view of Blackness in the United States as opposed to a narrow lens which only focuses on the era of slavery. Point received.

However, there are valid reasons to re-educate younger generations regarding the histories of this country which are often excluded from their textbooks and school curricula.

Where Snoop is wrong is that he assumes that Black folks are not represented in film or television anywhere else. This simply isn’t true. Black women have owned Thursday evenings for years now. Chadwick Boseman is about to be Black Panther in the blackest comic book movie ever. Things are definitely shifting away from only focusing on slave narratives but it will take both time and money to see that change extend into the long-term.

I certainly hope no one is listening to Snoop and choosing not to watch the miniseries this time around. Last night’s episode was well-written, beautifully shot, and poignantly real. It is something we all need to see.

Like this:

Tags:

Jenn M. Jackson is the Managing Editor for The Black Youth Project. She is also the Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Water Cooler Convos, a race + culture platform for Black millennials. For more about her, tweet her at @JennMJack or visit her website at jennmjackson.com.

“However, there are valid reasons to re-educate younger generations regarding the histories of this country which are often excluded from their textbooks and school curricula.”

but roots is hardly a accurate representation of chattel slavery in A’Marcia for that i recommend “Goodbye Uncle Tom” Let’s see them play that in schools, just be done with it. I cant believe im saying this but i agree with snoop. The only way to win an Oscar is in chains for black actors/ actresses, count em Glory, Driving Miss Daisy, django (i like that one)12 years a slave. Come on, they playing us. Where more then just thugs and gangsters i say boycott all movie its all revisionist garbage, but that’s me.

Steve Biko

This is just torture porn for whites. I don’t really care of Snoop D. but I agree with him on this one.
Roots doesn’t even BEGIN to describe how chattel slavery was in the colonies, and later on, the USA. What about reading ACTUAL BOOKS for a change? There are plenty of narratives written by enslaved Africans out there. I’ve personally read a few, and the ones I’ve read have been infinitely more valuable, in terms of me learning, compared to the drivel that is produced by the ENTERTAINMENT industry.

How many know the first Cinderella story was about Rhodopsis a Greek slave girl who became courtesan to the Kemetan (Black)House of Pharoah who was ridiculed out of jealousy for gold and Ruby slippers her master gave her,How many know about the Seminoles and their leader John Horse who defeated the Union armies and won Freedom for the black Seminoles after escaping from an escape proof fort rescuing the son of a chief and uniting the Florida tribes against the Union army who had kidnapped his wife and left his children motherless?Who knows that hannibal was black, That there are more pyramids in what is the Sudan than Arab controlled modern Egypt.How many know that Arabs are not considered white when they leave the USA? Did you know that the Haitian revolution which was the richest colony in the world is why the Louisiana purchase was possible?Also an awakening to the importance of melanin is beginning internationally especially with caucasian birthrates globally at non replacement levels!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

About The Black Youth Project

The Black Youth Project examines the attitudes, resources and culture of the young black millennials.

We have three core areas of focus: knowledge, voice, and action. Knowledge is the research we perform on Black millennials ages 18-35. Voice is the high-quality news and opinions written by Black millennials on this platform. Action is the work done through our sister organization BYP100.